An interior of a vehicle, such as automobile, typically includes energy absorbers for absorbing energy from an occupant of the vehicle during an impact of the vehicle. For example, the vehicle may include an instrument panel positioned in a front of the interior of the vehicle, and an energy absorber supported by the instrument panel. Specifically, the instrument panel may include a rigid frame and a knee bolster positioned between the knees of the occupant and the rigid frame. The knee bolster may be configured to absorb energy and soften impact between the knees of the occupant and the rigid frame of the instrument panel.
Energy absorbers may be passive, e.g., not activated before impact, or may be active, e.g., deployed when impact is sensed. Active energy absorbers are desired for some applications in the interior of the vehicle. However, space within the interior of the vehicle is limited and, as such, it is desirable to design the instrument panel to be as small as possible. There remains an opportunity to design an active energy absorber with a reduced footprint before deployment.